Thirty years on, black metal has come to be about more than lo-fi recording, buzzsaw guitars, and hatred for Christianity. Even in its tumultuous infancy, reverence for and celebration of nature was an inspiration for many bands, tying in with their pagan leanings. Following close behind was a folk music influence, with or without the use of acoustic instruments. These influences caught on like a forest fire, and in 2023 are commonplace. In context, then, the show at the Raccoon Motel in Davenport on Saturday, February 25 is not quite as outlandish as it may appear on the surface.

Currently touring in support of his latest album The Red Locusts, a tribute to the Beatles and power-pop bands of the 1980s and 1990s, music and daytime-drama icon Rick Springfield takes the stage at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on February 26, the chart-topping rock singer/songwriter a longtime fan favorite for hits including "Affair of the Heart," "Love Somebody," and the Grammy Award-winning "Jessie's Girl."

A beloved, platinum-selling artist and Country Music Award winner whose accomplishments include numerous Billboard chart-topping singles and three New York Times bestselling books, Marie Osmond headlines a February 24 concert event at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, having already spent more than six decades in the entertainment business performing as a successful singer, television performer and talk-show host, dancer, actor, author, entrepreneur, and public speaker.

Touring in support of his 2022 album Frayed at Both Ends that hit the top-five on the Billboard charts, outlaw-county singer/songwriter Aaron Lewis headlines a February 10 concert at Bettendorf's Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, treating fans to a repertoire that inspired Saving Country Music to rave, “Aaron's voice comes with a familiarity and richness of tone that endears itself to the songs he writes.”

In 2019, Radio Moscow frontman and guitarist Parker Griggs had a yen to try something different. As he explained in an interview with It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine: “ … after all the years solely focusing on [Radio Moscow], I wanted to branch out and try something new, touch on some new sounds and influences.” The result: El Perro, a five-piece band that takes the energetic heavy blues of Radio Moscow and lays in an infectious, funk-and-Latin-influenced groove.

A pair of award-winning, multi-platinum-selling rock outfits will share the stage at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on February 19 with the arrival of the national “Rock Resurrection Tour,” an eagerly anticipated event boasting the Grammy-nominated Wisconsin artists of Skillet and the Canadian alt-rockers of Theory of a Deadman.

With RG magazine stating that his "music keeps you on your feet and not wanting to miss a single moment of magic," award-winning jazz pianist and accordionist Ben Rosenblum headlines a February 24 concert at Common Chord's Redstone Room in Davenport, the New York City-based artist a significant talent who, according to DownBeat magazine, "caresses [the music] with the reverence it merits."

Having traveled the world performing their energetic, original, and soulful music in 47 states and 24 countries to date, the joyful musicians of Doreen's Jazz New Orleans bring their lauded talents to two area venues just in time for Mardi Gras week: on February 21 (Mardi Gras Day itself) at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, and on February 23 at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center.

On February 19, a lauded singer/songwriter and gifted pianist/composer will combine their talents at Bettendorf's Rivermont College when Pippi Ardennia and Daniel Leahy perform as featured guests in Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Series, their Pippi and Daniel Music jazz project delivering a post-Valentine's flavor accompanied by by Edgar Crockett on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Miller on guitar, Manuel Lopez III on drums, and Zoe Rose and Carol Maloney on vocals.

The evening of February 11 is sure to be “Some Kind of Wonderful” at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center as the Davenport venue hosts a night with Grand Funk Railroad, with the chart-topping, platinum-selling rockers currently celebrating their 53rd year of professional performance and a discography that boasts 13 studio album, four live albums, a dozen compilation albums, and more than two dozen singles.

Pages